NBA executive reveals Brownie James has been supported to play a bigger role in the Lakers next season

According to an article by Gautam Varyl, a senior contributor of US sports media F/W. Brownie James didn’t get the best start in his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he did show some hope later in his rookie season. He was impressive in the G League and a Western Conference executive believes the Lakers want him to be part of the rotation next season. “I think there’s no doubt that’s what they plan,” said a Western Conference executive. “I know this guy is very sad because of his dad’s identity, but we’ve seen a lot of videotapes about (Browny) and the fact is that he’s a lot better player in April than in October.”

, and he’s improved a lot. The early signs were so bad that the Lakers were hit by picking the former USC defender with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game for the Lakers in the Summer League. He is also inefficient as he shoots 35.0% from the field and 15.8% from outside the 3-point line. The preseason situation has not improved either. James averaged 4.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, shooting 29.7% from the field and 8.3% from three-pointers.

This provided a fuse for James' skeptics, claiming that he was not in the NBA and that he could enter only because he was LeBron James' son. He was criticized like an avalanche, but he did eventually start playing better. James ended up averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.3 blocks per game for the G League South Bay Lakers. He is also more efficient, shooting 44.0% from the field and 38.0% from the field from outside the three-point line. While some may be dismissive of the performance of the G League, we are talking about someone who once seemed out of place in the summer league. James has made some great strides, and the executive supports him as a Lakers mainstay in the 2025-26 season.

"He is 20 years old," the executive said. "He had a whole year and his development was fully effective. But he could defend the perimeter and he proved he could shoot 3 points. If he could prove that it wasn't a fluke, he would start to get 10 to 15 minutes a night because the team would feel they could trust him," the executive added. "I think he'll do it all. He'll be a regular on their roster next year."

The executive isn't the only one with that belief. Lakers insider Dave McMenaming believes James may be a rotation player in the middle of the season. However, that might be a little too early for the 20-year-old. James showed some potential on the defensive end, with the drop in outside shots more frequently, but he wasn't even close to the Lakers' rotation as a rookie. Only when the team is in an injury crisis does he get meaningful time on the court.

If the Lakers were in rebuild mode in 2025-26, Brownie, who averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.3 steals as a rookie, might be part of the rotation. However, they aspire to be a true champion contender and you have to be a pretty good NBA player to play a big time for such a team.